Things to note before buying a Ultrabook.

If you are thinking of changing your laptop, then you should opt for Ultrabook which has best design with its sleek, slim and light body, better performance and a very good battery life especially for travelers. Intel came up with the concept of Ultrabook in which it encouraged hardware manufacturers like HP, Dell, Asus etc to build and make devices to compete with Apple Macbook Air but which can hold Windows and open source Operating Systems.

Intel has laid down few standard limitations to OEM(Original equipment manufacturer) while building ultra-portable Ultrabook. The thickness should be 20mm for 13.3” for smaller displays and 23mm for 14.0” for larger displays. These days Ultrabook are available with Haswell processor which gives better transfer speed of 80MB which is minimum and is also capable of handling better multi threaded processes. With better optimized hardware Intel chip set processor and board, there is less consumption of battery life to complete the assigned tasks. Ultrabook can power 6 hours of HD video playback and 9 hours of Windows 8 idle mode.

Before buying a Ultrabook, you should have an idea for what purpose will Ultrabook will be used for? Will you be using Ultrabook for gaming, regular day to day work(which involves the kind of applications used in it) or will used while travelling and working in regular documents. Ultrabook should be chosen as per the applications you will be using. For example, being a blogger I mostly used browsers which might have around 15 tabs opened in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox simultaneously also few MS Word document, Photoshop, tweetdeck with 10-12 columns and applications running in background like Dropbox then for such things running Intel i5 4th generation processor would be good for me. But if I use application like Oracle VirtualBox or VMware and other developer softwares which need much processing speed and good memory or play high-end games then I shall go for Intel i7 3rd or 4th generation(as per the cost) processor.

There are many things which should be noted before buying a Ultrabook as I mentioned above and on that you need to decide the way you would be choosing your Ultrabook.

You will find most of the Ultrabook sleek and slim that is because of the processor it carries. With new upcoming devices like tablets hitting the market, OEMs have also created a touch screen display with a detachable keyboard which gives a tablet feel to your Ultrabook. With Windows 8 you can also use the touch screens easily as all the updates can also be seen in metro style. You will also find the clickpads which were used in Laptops are replaced with touchpads for more smooth use. It should be chosen according to your personality. Display screen manages the portability of the device so choose it as per the need.

Mostly available in Intel i5 or i7 Haswell processors, few old models can also be available in Ivy Bridge processor but it is advisable to go for latest available device. Processor depends on the usage of the applications. You should also need to note that Ultrabook is best for travellers for its better power and light body. Intel’s processor and board consume less power so keeps the battery life up and running to 9 hours with Windows idle mode and up to 6 hours for playing HD videos.

When it comes to memory the high memory gives better performance. It comes with 4GB RAM and can be expandable upto 8GB. For basic usage 4GB is enough which can help you in day to day work. Ultrabooks are occupied with Solid State Drives(SSD) which is a flash memory for better data transfer rate. It runs quietly and cool, also produce less heat. SSDs are mostly used for its lightweight and compact design.

Ultrabooks may have USB slots, but you should look for at least 3 USB ports. Mostly USB 3.0 is used which gives better transfer rate when moving file to another USB 3.0 connected device. You will also notice Ultrabook comes with only WiFi option as no ethernet port would be available. You can get USB to ethernet converters if no WiFi is available at your place. HDMI and card reader slot is maximum options you look for in Ultrabook.

Ultrabook will be powered with Windows 8 licensed version or you can get Linux operating system if you are an open source lover. Ultrabook also comes with antivirus and antimalware software. Also includes Intel’s additional Anti-Theft Technology and Identity Protection Technology.

After sales support is a very important thing to note while purchasing your Ultrabook. Look out for options like maximum warranty and on site support with annual maintenance cost(AMC) for another 2 years support. Many times off site support takes too long to get your Ultrabook issue fixed, so try to get on site support.

These are the few things which needs to be kept in mind before buying a Ultrabook or a Laptop. I hope these things will help you to make better decisions while choosing a Ultrabook.